President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, for tax and firearm charges has been described by President-elect Donald Trump as a “miscarriage of justice.”
The decision also drew criticism not only from Republican politicians, but also from some Democrats.
“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump stated in a Truth Social post on Monday.
The term “J-6 hostages” refers to people imprisoned for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol, which occurred as Congress was certifying Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump. More than 1,488 people have been charged with crimes related to the breach as of August, according to the Department of Justice.
The outgoing President Biden said on Dec. 1 that he had signed “a full and unconditional pardon” for his son, sparing him from any federal crimes and their associated legal penalties.
The president said that he believes that his son has been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.” He argued that the charges brought against his son were influenced by political reasons.
“There has been an effort to break Hunter—who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution,” Biden stated. “In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me—and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here.”
Hunter Biden was charged with nine counts of federal tax evasion to the sum of $1.4 million between 2016 and 2019, to which he pleaded guilty in September. He was also convicted of federal gun charges for illegally purchasing a firearm in 2018 while addicted to drugs.
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) said that he disagreed with the president’s claims that Hunter Biden’s prosecution was a result of “politically-motivated” reasons.
“I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong,” Stanton stated on X. “Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) stated on X that he was shocked by Biden’s decision, considering the president’s previous pledge that he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said that Biden’s move will not only tarnish his reputation but also set a “bad precedent” that could be exploited by future presidents.
“While as a father I certainly understand President Joe Biden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country,” Polis stated on X.
Polis said that no one is above the law, “not a President and not a President’s son.”
‘Warranted’
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a Dec. 2 X post that the pardon was warranted and that no U.S. attorney “would have charged this case given the underlying facts.”
“After a 5 year investigation the facts as discovered only made that clear,” Holder said. “Had his name been Joe Smith the resolution would have been— fundamentally and more fairly—a declination.“
Hunter Biden was scheduled to face sentencing on Dec. 12 for gun charges and Dec. 16 for tax charges, but these sentencing hearings are now likely to be canceled.
Melanie Sun contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times